Is "broody" catching?

[Chicabee19]

Reading up on lots of threads, it seems like someone will mention they have a broody hen, then a while later another of their hens has (or several have), gone broody.

Is this catching? I ask because (as all you gals know), when human females live together their cycles can coincide.

thanks!

 

[priszilla]

must be here- even one of my young pullets who just started laying caught it

 

[keljonma]

In our flock, our Jersey Black Giant is broody every 6 months. None of the other hens (2+ years old) have ever gotten broody and actually stayed at it. .....

So you know, we were out of town for the week-end. I have the JBG in the portable nest box in our laundry/mud room with chicklettes. We come back home to find our White Wyandotte and Gold Penciled Hamburg are both broody. And they haven't left their posts all week. Silly girls.

 

[goldensunriseranch]

I've found that with both my silkies and my cochins it's like dominos. I get one broody and then one by one there they go until everybody has quit laying on me and they are all fluffed up in their selected nesting areas. And more often than not they all choose the same nesting spot and I have piles of them trying to squeeze into one box.